


Blood And Sand

by SunSpice



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:12:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4466687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunSpice/pseuds/SunSpice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ancient legend speaks of a city hidden in the sand, a resting place of the Elvhenan of the past and the treasures of their Creators. But not all that is lost is gone without reason, as the intrepid group of explorers from Kirkwall will soon find out. AU, OC, F!Hawke/Fenris, M!Hawke/Anders and a whole slew of the DA cast. Based heavily on the movie the Mummy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I am obsessed with DAI, and I watch movies at random. There is no help for me, save yourself! I’ll admit that this is an odd idea, but I figure what the heck- it is worth a try right? Personally I love the movie I am basing this off of, and I think everybody should see it. Things aren’t going to go precisely as the movie does because I want this to be unique, and while the characters might be similar- they aren’t the same. And there will be more of them, so where this ends up is anyone's guess. I’m also playing a lot with mixing the game lore, and a bit of ancient Egyptian- the same goes for the actual layout of the world. Romance will feature in this, but who is romancing whom is a big question for me- I guess we’ll see where this goes.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not, not have I ever owned The Mummy, or Dragon Age Inquisition, I do own Mousy and the unique portions of this fic that I write in- as the sprang from my imagination like a herd of cats and are as easily directed as such. Figures that when I want to write an original story I end up being dragged into a new fanfic instead.

Blood and Sand

 

Prologue

 

The blond haired man gripping his bow as the encroaching line of horses sped towards them, he glanced towards his commander- the only man in the whole of the Templar unit that had a horse nearly dropping his bow as the man in question took one look at the line and spun his horse around- racing off in the opposite direction. 

 

“Where do you think he’s going?” Cullen said looking at his long time friend, and cowardly companion Mettin- red haired man only shrugged before commenting.

 

“I guess you just got promoted.” Mettin said hands shaking on his bow as the line waited for orders. Cullen shrugged beneath his armor, heavily regretting the assignment that brought him to this particularly hot pit of the abyss and cleared his throat. He didn’t even really understand why the Templar’s would be dispatched to this place- it was a ruin, and elven ruin yes but not one worth dying over.

 

“Ready your bows!” The blond haired man said in a parade voice, pulling an arrow out of his quiver, and the line of men followed suit. He looked to his quivering friend noticing the quiver of the man’s shoulders “You’re with me on this one right Mettin?”

 

“Oh, you strength gives me strength.” The redhead said, his arms still shaking.

 

“Ready!” At this cue, the man dropped his arrow and ran after their commander up the long walkway that once led into the now ruined city. Cullen only rolled his eye’s at this, knowing that only the commanders threat of a desertion charge had been the only thing keeping Mettin here. “Steady! FIRE!” 

 

He said, and a volley of arrows was unleashed on the approaching horsemen. While it had the desired effect, Cullen knew they stood no chance as more men and elves charged. Arrow after arrow flew, hitting their marks and still there was a solid line. He ordered his men back into the city, but knew it was in vain as arrows came flying at them in return. He and his remaining men sped up the long stone ramp into the city proper, before ducking and weaving through the worn and sometimes broken stone columns. The remains of stone buildings made it harder for the horseback attackers to pursue them in this place, and the blond man found himself running further into the city they had not previously had time to explore. Down a blind alley and into a courtyard, he found himself stopping short the large ornate statue of a wolf- any further progress blocked by its massive bulk. 

 

His men, or what was left of them were no where to be seen and he could only hope as the sounds of battle continued that they would be fortunate enough to make it out. Drawing his sword, he turned to retrace his steps, stopping short as a trio of horses rounded the corner he’d taken. The men- two humans and an elf seemed for a moment ready to attack, but something seemed to be holding them back, and their horses seemed to spook as they urged them onward. The trio fled, and the blond man moved to watch them go- very confused. That was when he heard it, the sound he had mistaken for the thumping of his own heart as he ran, like the wind rushing over the sand it rose in pitch and volume as he looked around. 

 

The shadows of the courtyard pitched the statue in darkness as he searched frantically for the source of this noise- he knew it, it was so familiar to him and yet so alien. His eyes widening as they landed on the stone creature once more, and he sucked in a breath- high pitched howling, a cacophony of high pitched anguished howling. But the source of it seemed to be the stone itself, and as he looked at it he swore- swore on his life that the stone effigy was grinning at him. Sharp teeth painting him a wicked promise, eyes laughing. 

 

At this he turned and broke into a run back into the city, away from the stone thing. Be it demon or something else he did not care, he wasn’t about to stick around and find out the hard way that he was right.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

I should probably mention that while the places in question might be familiar, their placement in the world I am cooking up is a bit hinky, so if you are confused I’ll try to clear things up. Here’s hoping this goes well at least.


	2. Cat and Mouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably mention that while the places in question might be familiar, their placement in the world I am cooking up is a bit hinky, so if you are confused I’ll try to clear things up. Here’s hoping this goes well at least

Chapter Two: Cat and Mouse

The dark haired and tan skinned elven woman moved to sit on the steppes of the Hanged Man as she rubbed her temples, trying in vain to ignore the caterwauling going on in the pub below. She’d just had a rather close run with a Templar outside the pub, and she really wasn’t in the mood to deal with drunk morons. But her headache- the side effect of using magic in the presence of someone who could and did dispel it, was giving her no rest. She should just give up and go lie down in her room, but summer was at its peak and she was not enjoying it at all, as the scorching heat turned her room into an oven.

“Why didn’t I just go bother Anders today?” She groaned to herself, her delicate pointed ears caught the sound of a thump from behind her. The room itself was suppose to be vacant- as her adopted brother had not yet returned from wherever it was Sparrow had taken him. Sparrow Hawke- and her brother Alder were a troublesome pair of mages who had the habit of dragging their friends into impossible farces; and of course Mouse was not exempt from these charades. Mouse wasn’t the girls real name, but Varric gave nicknames that stuck so there was no fighting it. 

Another thump had her grumbling, and she stood moving towards the dark room with a curse- if it was another thief who thought they could run one over Varric, who was in his own way a king of thieves then they had another thing coming. Maybe it was another idiot stuck in one of his many traps, would make sense- all of his friends knew about them so only idiots who broke into his rooms were in any danger. And hell they were lucky, he was generally not malicious so caught was the ample word to use.

She moved towards the door quietly, putting the stealth lessons Varric had painstakingly etched into her brain to good use as she opened the door, standing to the side as she looked in. The room itself was dark, dwarven carved chairs surrounding the carved stone table undisturbed, books open in the distinctive method that Varric used when he intended to come back to something, spare boots and torn coats all left in place. She took a small step into the darkened room, checking behind the door and seeing nothing. Varric’s room was quiet a bit larger than the other rooms in the Hanged Man, and it even had a closet that opened into a closet in her own- in case either one of them needed to make a hasty exit.

But nothing seemed out of place, and for the life of her she could not see anything moving in the darkness. Perhaps it was a rat? She didn’t think they would dare move into his rooms, but there was a first time for everything. She moved passed the door, into the stifling dark room and towards his banked fireplace, only to jump as the door snapped shut behind her. Mouse jumped with a squeak inadvertently flaring the eerie bright green vale fire into life around her, like a dancing fireflies made of flame lighting up the room. A muttered curse combined with laughter made her scowl at the man- or rather dwarf standing behind where the door was and she gave the man in question a dirty gesture.

“That was funny as hell.” The blond dwarf said, straightening his duster.

“If you say so Varric.” The woman said sinking into one of the many chairs, putting her arms on the table and slumping down with a grumble.

“Awe come on Mousy!” Varric said, fumbling for something in his pocket. “Here I found just the thing to cheer you up- Actually it was more Alder’s find but I convinced him it was more you thing, Ancient elvish and all that.”

He set a small metal object on the table in front of her, and Mouse turned her face to look at it. It was made of something that vaguely like Stormheart, but well patina’d with age. On it were inscribe symbols of ancient elven lore, and when Mouse moved to pick it up. The metal itself was cool and smooth, and with a slight thread of magic she teased the inherent magic of it noting that beneath the crackling electricity of the material there was hidden a deeper spell. Something quiet and powerful. She traced the ancient elven lettering as she rolled it over in her hand, and Varric was looking at her with a particularly interested gaze.

“He actually found something didn’t he? Oh please tell me he found something Mousy, I need a new adventure to write about-” Varric said rubbing his hands together. Mouse in turn pressed two indentations on the item and with a twist it and the sound of gears tumbling, six metal articulate points opened to reveal an ancient piece of parchment folded within. Mouse delicately pulled the item out with baited breath, and let out a small laugh as she set the box on the table.

“Varric, I think we’ve found something!” She said giving him a giddy look, and the dwarf returned it. He pulled out a scrap of parchment, scrambling for a quill- He was going to need more ink.

_______________________________________________________________

 

Mouse, dressed in her Chantry service finest, and Varric walked each gripping the shoulder of one very distress Kirkwall noble with a vengeance. The person in question was a pasty dark haired man that could more often be found reading then enjoying the sunlight, and was often found bothering his lover in the lower regions of Kirkwall with the many refugees. His twin sister- One Sparrow Hawke, his equally pasty sister trailed behind the trio her long time companion and lover Fenris taking up the rear. Neither looked particularly thrilled about the group’s choice of destination, but when Varric was on a mission it was best just to go along.

“You told me that you you found that when we were out on that stupid mission you pulled from Chantry boy.” Varric said to the man as they moved up the steps to the Gallows, surreptitiously looking at the Templar's stationed around the entrance. They in turn merely gave the group a cursory look before brushing them off; the Gallows was a bit of a one stop shop for criminals and Mages alike, and none of the three mages in the company was comfortable coming here- but it couldn't be helped.

“Yes well we all make mistakes-” Alder said nervously as they drew nearer the man they’d come to meet.

“You lied to me Alder.” Varric said with a disapproving frown, his short stature it seemed was very misleading, and the man in question compelled Alder forward by sheer force.

“I lie to everyone, what makes you so special.”

“I thought we were friends Hawke.” Varric said as the group drew to a halt in front of the commanding Templar on duty.

“Well that just makes you more gullible.”

“You,” Mouse said giving Alder a particularly pointed look. “Stole it from a drunk at the Hanged Man-”

“Picked his pocket actually,” Alder said attempting to pull away from the duo. “SO I would rather not really have anything to do with it. Really why are we ever here?”

“A good question,” Fenris said looking around. “This is not wise.”

“The box contained a map,” Mouse as she waved at the Templar beckoning him towards them- it was wise not to rush up to men who wielded swords on a regular basis. “The map leads the way to the City of the Dead.”

“I’m sensing a but here.” Sparrow said with a frown, “The City of the Dead? That sounds familiar.”

Alder in turn was gave the elvish woman a look of surprise and intrigue, he clearly understood the reference at least.

“You mean the Ancient Elvhenan city that was said to house the wealth of Arlathan?” He asked for clarification. 

“I mean the Ancient Elvhenan city that was said to sink beneath the sands at the command of the Elders,” She said giving him an affirmative nod, “The ancient city where the elves of old would lay out those who chose to enter Uthenera- the ancient city of magic and mystery that Tevinter and the Chantry have been looking for since the sinking of Arlathan.”

“All I hear is treasure,” Sparrow said with an appreciative nod.

“Danger, and possible death.” Fenris commented dryly.

“But that doesn’t explain why we need to talk to this Templar.” Alder groused at the woman, and dwarf collectively. The Templar approached and Varric spoke to the man about seeing a very specific prisoner. 

“The map is very pretty and all,” Mouse said as the group was ushered towards a barred area before the Templar left to speak to someone. “But it isn’t terrible informative, it relies on land markers of the ancient world. If we can speak to this man, and find out where he got it we can trace it back to where it was found, that will give us some context as to where it came from and where we can start looking.”

“Fine,” Was all Alder said as a man was pulled struggling out of a door on the other side of the bars, two Templar's were required to keep him from breaking free and as the group took in his appearance, Mouse began to question the wisdom of her plan. His hair was long, greasy and matted, clothing filthy, ripped and stained. He was large, and obviously had the bearing of a close ranged fighter. 

“What is this man in the Gallows for?” Mouse asked the Templar- the original one she’d spoken stood just on the other side of the bars.

“I didn’t know,” He said scratching his red beard with an unimpressed look, Sir Thrask as it was- was always willing to help. “So I asked him, he said he was ‘Only looking for a good time.’”

“This is the man that you stole it from?” Mouse whispered to Alder, giving him a look that clearly questioned his judgement.

“Yes, so-”

“Who are you?” Said the blond with a glower, “And who’s the broad?”

“Broad.” Mouse squeaked.

“Hey now.” Varric said with a warning tone, and the man only gave him a look in return.

“Me?” Alder said moving a bit closer, he grabbed Mouse by the arm and she followed suit “I’m just the local Chantry brother looking to spread the Maker’s word. And this- this is Mousy, she’s a good friend of mine.”

Mouse gave Alder a questioning look, and Alder gave her a ‘Go ahead, ask him’ look before rolling his eyes. She shrugged with one last look around as Sir Thrask moved to talk to another Templar.

“We found your puzzle box, and we were hoping to ask you about it.” She said giving him a particularly sweet smile, figuring you caught more flies with honey than you did with vinegar. 

“No.” The blond man said, drawing himself and point a finger. “No, you came to ask me about the City of the Dead.”

“Shhh.” Varric said looking around, Templar's might be the so called “Justice” of the city, but so frequently they were also known for taking the stance of ‘Just us’ instead. Mouse moved a little closer, before speaking again to the man more quietly.  
“How did you know that the bow contained a map to the City of the Dead?”

“Because that is where I was when I found it.” He said with a shrug.

“How do we know that it’s not all a load of piss?” Alder said coming closer as well.

“Do I know you?” The blond asked Alder, look of vague recognition on his face.

“No, no, I’ve just got one of those fac-” He never even saw the man’s fist coming, and the blond detainee had a somewhat triumphant look on his face as the mage folded like a piece of paper. Mouse didn’t like her friends getting hurt true- but a good punch to the face was something she felt Alder might have deserved right about now. The convict received a fist in turn from the Templar's behind him, and Mouse stepped over Alder as Varric told the man to walk it off. Sparrow would probably heal it for him before they got home anyways.

“You were at the City of the Dead?”

“Yes.” he said with a nod.

“You swear?”

“Every damn day.”

 

“No I mean, you promise you were there?”

“Yes- City of the dead.” He said raising his hands to wave his fingers about in a sarcastic spooky fashion. “Resting place of the ancient Elves.”

“Could you tell me where?” She asked with another sweet smile, the blond gave her a calculating look before crooking a finger and gesturing for her to come closer.

“You want to know?”

“Well, yes.” She said inching a bit closer, as if the two were about to share a secret. With that one of the blond's hands whipped out grabbing her chin and pulling her close. Lips met roughly before the man was pulled away from the bars, and Mouse was pulled in the opposite direction but Varric. The Templar’s inside of the cell both looked horrified, and proceeded to beat the man as the elven woman stood a bit stunned.

“I beg your forgiveness milady.” Thrask said walking back towards the bars. “We did not expect that to happen, in either case this man is about to receive his punishment. We cannot prolong this meeting any further.”

“Punishment?” Mouse asked looking at him. “Punishment for what?”

“Apparently,” Thrask said with a frown of disapproval, “He had a very good time. Normally we would let him sleep it off in the cells, but as he is a former member of the Templar order the Knight commander has ordered his execution. She feels he gives us a bad name.”

The sarcastic sneer from Fenris seemed to be universal, and the group was at a lose for a moment as the man was dragged away.

“Wait,” Mouse said, “Let me talk to the Knight Commander- He has information that might… um pertain to an investigation into a blood magic cult.”

Alder gave her a look that questioned her sanity, and she waved him off.

“If you must, then I shall let the Knight commander know. One moment.” Sir Thrask said moving off and Mouse bit her lip before looking at her companions.

“Maybe you two should go?” She said looking at the Hawke twins. “Its bad enough having one- um of us here, I don’t want Meredith to get any ideas.”

“No,” Sparrow said giving her brother a droll look. “I’ll stay, someone needs to sweet talk Meredith- and as a Hawke I have more clout than an Editor, no offence.”

“None taken- it’s a shame she isn't a fan of Varric’s writing.” Mouse commented dryly “We could just bribe her or something.”

“We might have to bribe her anyways.” Sparrow said a door opened not far from them, and Sir Thrask motioned to the group indicating that they should follow him. The group moved towards the door, and down the narrow hallway before coming out into a large courtyard. In the center of the courtyard was a raised stand, and on that stand stood the man and several Templar's in full gear. A noose hung from a post on the stand, and the group knew that there time for convincing the Knight Commander was very limited.

Mouse was ushered up the steps along with Sparrow, and the Knight commander stood from her seat- more like a thrown then an actual chair as the two women approached. 

“Sera Hawke, to what do I owe this honor?” The Knight Commander said, Sparrow Hawke and her Brother Alder were well known for their exploits, the most paramount being their successful broker of peace between the city and the Qunari that had been in the pursuit of an ancient artifact. The original thief of the item had been long gone, but the book had somehow found its place in the city and it had been a feat to find and return the item. Particularly as one the the chantry sisters had taken it into her head to try and make it into a religious war.

Mouse watched with no small amount of worry as the hangman loosened the noose enough to fit around the man’s head, before looping it around his neck and pulling it tight.

“Knight Commander Meredith,” Hawke said getting down to business. “I know this may seem like an odd request but, I would like to ask you to release this man into our custody. It appears that he may have valuable information.”

“As much as I wish I could help you with your quest Sera- this man has made a mockery of our order,” The Knight Commander said crossing her arms. “I cannot allow it to go without punishment. Proceed!”

She called out to the men on the block and the Hangman pushed him into place, hand resting on the lever of the trap door. 

“He holds information pertinent to ending a blood mage cult.” Sparrow said looking at Meredith with a very serious expression, the Knight commander hesitated for a second but didn’t stop the hangman.

“My reason for issuing his punishment stands.” Meredith answered boldly.

“I’ll give you ten gold to see him released to our custody.” Mouse interrupted, and both women could now see a glint of greed in the woman’s eye, and the small mage knew she hit the heart of the matter. Meredith might pretend to do everything for the sake of being a Templar, might claim to be the hand of the Maker in a forsaken city, but her motives were more transparent than most would believe. 

“I would pay ten gold to see this man hang.” Meredith countered, small and terrifying smile in place. She wasn’t stating a fact now, she was bargaining. 

“Twenty.” Mouse said, face going still and expressionless.

“Fifty.” Meredith countered.

“Twenty five.”

“Forty Five.” Then without warning the hangman pulled the lever, letting the man drop. Mouse bit her lip and was shocked as the man dropped, but rather then snap his neck he dangled.

“Thirty five!” Mouse said finally. “Not a copper more- I wonder what the public would think of you letting the blood mage cult go unpunished.”

Meredith looked at the small mage eyes narrowed, and the elven woman only stared back unflinching.

“Deal.” She said finally to the woman before raising her voice to be heard by the hangman. “Cut him down, his execution is stayed- for the moment.”

One of the Templar's obliged, and the man dropped like a rock into the sand of the courtyard. The mage duo had to scramble in their pockets to pay the fee to Meredith, and by the end of it Sparrow paid the bulk of it, but the man was free- propped up by Fenris as they left the Gallows. After a brief decision session with the quartet, it was decided that they would take a day to gather supplies and make arrangements before setting out. 

“We need to get you decent armor anyways,” Varric said as they deposited the man in a room a the hanged man with instructions to bath and clean up. Sir Thrask had been kind enough to provide them with the man’s arms and armor, but there was no helping the stench. As a mage Mouse didn’t see much in the way of combat anyways- in fact the woman was something between a spirit healer and a fade walker, as she was generally a fairly meek woman. So after some confirming with an armor they managed to get her fitted with with a nice Dawnstone and leather outfit that would work nicely.

Varric had a few accounts to run, and people to contact to ensure the business end of things was taken care of while they were away, and Mouse chose to spend some time resting in her room. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


	3. Chapter Two: The High Seas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: So this chapter changes POV’s, just a warning ahead of time. Trying to not imagine Cullen dress as Rick O’Connell, failing on this end. The Marthian Desert doesn’t actually exist in game, and is actually just something I came up with as the Western approach isn’t actually big enough for my purposes.

Blood and Sand

 

Chapter Two: The High Seas

 

Dawn saw the group readied for the trip and waiting on the docks, sans of course our guide and I for one was quite annoyed by this. I spend how much coin on getting the man out of a hanging, and he doesn’t even have the manners to show up? I let out a sigh as I followed Varric toward the ship we would be taking to the desert, which was suppose to be home to the City grumbling the entire way. Yes, I was eager to set out, and yes I was going to love discovering something but, well I was a recluse for a reason- and the journey was bound to be dangerous. I was hastily regretting my impulsive decision to rush things together and set out, I really would much rather be hiding in my room; or even helping out Anders in his clinic while the Hawke twins handled the adventure part of- well the adventure. But that idea was out as Anders was coming with us, so too was Fenris as Sparrow could never go anywhere without him.

And the ship we would be taking was captain by one Admiral Isabella, a frequent patron of the Hanged Man and friend of the group, who had at some point managed to find a hat that would put most mages to shame. Or so I thought as the woman in question came into view, standing at the foot of the gangway- said woman also spotted us and with a cry moved to hug Varric before pouncing on me.

“How is my favorite recluse?” She said, pulling me into a hug.

“Reclusive.” I answered in a deadpanned tone, rolling my eyes. 

“Awwwe, come on Mousy- and here I thought you might be loosening up.” She said with a playful and suggestive wink. “I heard through the grapevine that this was your idea, should have known it was too good to be true. I mean you, choosing to leave that dingy pub in broad daylight. Its a miracle you’re outside at all.”

“It actually was my idea.” I admitted before grumbling. “Its not like I never go outside or anything Izzy.”

“I know I know, just never when you can be seen I get it.” She said giving my head a playful pat, “We’ll have to fix that. Are you sure you don’t want to share my cabin on the way, room for several more.”

I rolled my eyes at her teasing, it wasn’t an unusual direction for the conversation to go. She thought I was too meek- and she might have been right, but I didn’t think I would ever loosen up enough to share Isabella’s cabin, at least not in the fashion that she intended. If it was a sleepover maybe, but that was not the most likely context.

“I’m good really,” I said shrugging. 

“Have you seen our intrepid guide Oh captain my captain?” Varric said interrupting the woman's teasing.

“Its Admiral, and no- not that I really know what the man looks like.” She said searching the docks as I took the chance to give my baggage to one of Izzy’s men.

“Well that’s easy, dirty, blond haired, utterly foul hygiene-” I started before my eyes settled on a blond man approaching us from behind Isabella. He was dressed in a clean white tunic, and brown pants with a sword slung over his shoulder carrying a familiar bag of gear. If it weren’t for the gear I might not recognize the blond man at all, and I blinked a few times trying to take in his new appearance. His once matted and tangled hair was now cut short, with a bit of fringe in the front, his beard was gone and only a slight stubble remained emphasizing his strong jaw and revealing a small scar above his lip. 

Golden brown eyes caught my own, and I for the life of me couldn't remember what I had been saying only a moment prior. This of course made Izzy look over her shoulder, and I saw her jaw drop slightly at the sight as well. The blond stopped short looking directly at me and Varric.

“I’m here, as requested.” He said, his voice much changed from the scratched horse thing it had been in the Gallows, carrying with it a Fereldan accent- I knew it because I had one too, or rather I had one before working with Varric on it. I swallowed before doing a very good impression of a fish out of water, Varric thankfully threw me a lifeline and interceded while I tried to find the brain I had misplaced five seconds ago.

“Ah good, you're here- don’t mind Mousy she is a bit on the meek side.” Varric said moving to clasp his hand in a brief shake before gesturing towards the ship. “This here is our vessel of choice, and that’s the captain- mind your ass and I mean that literally, her hands have a mind of their own.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.” The man said with a slight bow to Izzy, who was just like me still gaping a bit. She of course retained the presence of mind to give him her hand to shake, and was instead rewarded with small kiss to the back of it instead. For once the Pirate had nothing to say, and Varric ushered him up the gangplank and towards the cabins.

“Maker, give me two of those please.” Isabella said breathlessly, I mentally slapped myself but it did little good.

“He- I- what does he think he’s playing at?” I said finally with a huff and a blush.

“I don’t know, but I would say he’s winning.”

“That man.” I grumbled, remembering my anger from the day before. Oh I had gotten him out of the Gallows, and I hadn’t murdered him in his sleep- but I was still angry about the unexpected kiss. 

“Why do you have something against him exactly?” The Pirate said, and I responded without thinking.

“He ah- he kissed me.” 

“You’re angry because he kissed you?” She said looking at the man as he moved to go below deck. She then looked back at me as if not quite understanding something before saying. “Oh you poor thing, we have a lot of work to do! Next time he tries to kiss you, follow my advice and grab his di-”

“Isabella!” I said interrupting her, my face flushing with embarrassment, I had the distinct feeling that this journey was going to be very trying.

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

It wasn’t long until we were underway, it was always best to leave with the tides when at all possible. We weren’t of course the only group leaving on Isabella’s ship, she had to scare up enough passengers to make the trip profitable and eventually she managed to fill all of the cabins available for guests. Sparrow and Alder shared cabins with their respective loved ones, Varric’s cabin was just across the way from my own, and the blond man’s cabin was just next to it. We each had the large sized cabins, for which I was very grateful- not that they allowed for a great deal of space, we were on a ship still. But it was more than most of the other passengers were getting.

I took a good long time arranging and rearranging things in my cabin before leaving to find lunch, we would be on the ship for some time yet- and I had yet to do much exploring. I closed my door behind me as I tucked the puzzle box into the front of my armor, padding down the hallway of the ship on quiet feet. I pushed the door to the deck open, peering out before turning to find the galley. I could wait until later to go out on deck, it wouldn’t hurt anyone and the bonus of this was that I didn’t have to worry about talking to very many people if I didn’t want to. All of the sailors under Izzy’s command were frequent visitors of the Hanged Man, so there was no awkwardness there. They knew I didn’t speak because I generally had nothing to say, not because I wasn’t inclined to talk to people.

“Yo ho!” I got as I pushed the door open, and I gave the man within a withering glare. “Oh hey, my apologies Lady Mouse thought yeh was the Cap’n.”

“Hello Bevlin,” I said with a shake of my head, the dark haired human was the ship’s cook- a jolly soul that often quipped crap at Isabella for the same reason she quipped crap at me. “Don’t suppose you have anything to eat?”

“Aye,” He said rummaging below the counter of his station- the kitchen was separated from the rest of the galley by this counter in question, and the man pulled out something that looked like a muffin with bits of bacon inside of it. Handing it to me he grabbed a wooden mug and gave me some water as well. “Lucky for you someone warned me that we’d be having mages on board- Maker knows if I managed to stock up enough food to feed the lot of you, feeding one mage is tough enough.”

The man of course was referring to the fact that mage's had a tendency to snack throughout the day, as our bodies had a high energy demand- and eat large meals whenever available. You would probably never find a mage that didn’t look skinny, as the demand of handling magic put a heavy strain on our bodies resources. In my experience only Grey Wardens and Qunari ate more, which made me wonder if a Mage who was a Grey Warden could ever eat enough, or if being a Warden didn’t affect it at all. Something to ask Bethany the next time I saw her, for curiosities sake.

I bit into the thing and was delighted to find that it included a cooked egg in the center of it, and I gave the cook an appreciative smile as I wandered away to find a dark corner to sit in. A nice wooden bench was worked into part of the wall, and I sat pulling my legs up onto the smooth wooden surface as I took in my surroundings. Bevlin was busy chopping away at whatever he was making, and otherwise the room was empty and I enjoyed the quiet as I ate musing over the last very odd couple of day’s. The door to the galley swung open, admitting a very familiar blond and I hurried to finish my meal as the man retrieved his own meal from the cook before looking around. He of course spotted me immediately and began to approach, though I had the urge to bolt I could not in good conscious leave without looking like a madwoman so I stayed put as the blonde sat on a chair opposite of me.

I nibbled at what was left of my meal, avoiding eye contact and generally making myself look smaller as the man bit into his own meal. It appeared that the muffin I’d been given was something of a special treat- or perhaps that the man didn’t have an appetite for them, as his own meal was a bowl of some odd porridge looking thing. His body language said that the man had something to say to me, and I wished he would just say it so that I could excuse myself politely- or impolitely if the occasion called for it, and return to my room. I still didn’t even know the man’s name, and as we sat in a somewhat awkward silence I resolved to go as soon as I was done eating, polite or not.

“Miss ah-” he began unexpectedly, and I jumped in my seat as his smooth masculine voice echoed through the room, catching Bevlin’s attention as well as my own. The cook was watching the interaction carefully, and I felt thankful for that much at least. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”

“Mouse.” I commented quietly. “My name is Mouse- or my nickname is.”

“Mouse?” he said with a bit of confusion before appearing to shake it off, “Lady Mouse, I just wanted to- to apologize for my behavior towards you in particular yesterday.”

“Oh- uh-” I stuttered, trying to right my train of thought. “I- uh I would accept your apology if I knew your name.”

“Maker’s grace- Cullen, Cullen Rutherford at your service m’lady.”

“Well then Cullen Rutherford,” I said with a raised eyebrow, I still wasn’t up to looking the man in the eyes but I figured glaring at his nose might work. “You’re forgiven.”

I knew I didn’t sound convincing but all I really wanted was to disappear at the moment, and as the door to the galley opened for a second time I took my leave of the man with a quick farewell, puttering past Varric as he swept through the door laughing at my hasty exit. I vaguely heard the Varric mutter ‘Don’t worry curly, she does that all the time.’ as I left making a hasty retreat to my room. 

_____________________________________________________

The journey by sea itself was relatively mellow, and as the ship made port in a small town outside bordering the seas near Orlais and that was where our party disembarked, as we would have to take a river ship up the wide mouth of the river that led to Lake Celestine- and then up yet another river that led into the lake towards the Western Approach and into the Marthian Desert. The ship we were boarding to take us up river was powered by the efforts of horses, two teams of horses each turning a massive wooden wheel to combat the slow easy current of the river, and for a bit after we boarded I simply stood watching them pace forward almost lazily.

Our room arrangement was much the same as the one on Isabella’s ship, save perhaps our cabins were smaller and I wondered how the mage's in our party managed to so studiously avoid being in the same place as the former Templar- who hadn’t made any secret of the fact that he was obviously trying to draw me into conversation, if only because I was one of the few people he knew. He seemed to get along famously with Varric, and he studiously avoided poor Alder- probably for the best as Alder and his lover would probably have sent the man into conniptions. Neither was terribly good at hiding that they were mage's, and Cullen it seemed was too distracted with watching Sparrow- who was probably most well known for being a mage and not giving two shits about other people’s opinions to notice that I was one too.

About two weeks into our journey up the river, our adventure got a bit more interesting- we were stopped at a dock in lake Celestine for the ship to resupply when the ship took on several new passengers. I was sitting at one of the man wooden tables as the group boarded, and an odd group it was- but it what the shining armor of a the four men in back that caught my attention. Templar’s- more templar’s, why was the solution to everything more templar’s?

I moved to stand, but found my way blocked by a rather large man in Silverite armor and for a moment I had to quell the instinctive burn of magic in my veins as my heart jumped. I had been subject to far to many sudden meetings with hostile people in general.

“Beg pardon M’lady, but would you be a member of expedition to the Marthian Sands?” he said, his voice carrying a light Orlesian accent. He was tall with dark hair, and a well groomed dark beard, he carried a sword sheathed on his back and a shield. His chest plate however was what really caught my eye.

“Yes but- What would the Grey Wardens have to do with the Marthian Sands?” I asked quietly.

“Word has it someone found ruins?” He said shifting his stance, “If there are ruins, there is a good chance the go underground.”

“And if they go underground then there is a good chance there is Darkspawn.” I finished with a sigh, “Alright, I’ll take you to our- well not really a leader, but he is generally in charge of our group.”

I led him around the group of new arrivals, towards where I knew Varric would be working on his current obsession- no doubt he would be writing up some dashing and heroic account of the journey to the Sands, instead of the truth because apparently there needed to be some drama. I knew that of course, as an editor- more specifically Varric Tethras’ editor I knew what sold and what didn’t, I just wasn’t too keen on being in his latest work. Not after what happened with the Hawke twins, ugh. I ducked around a fabulously dressed gentleman, and a rather large Qunari- I had no idea they got that big Maker, and down the side deck Warden doing well to keep up behind me. Being as small as I was, I usually got through crowds more quickly than others might- a fact I forgot generally when I was with anyone but Varric, and I took a moment to let him catch up before dragging him back to Varric’s set up.

He’d claimed- more or less a table in the back corner of the ship, and generally speaking the rest of the ship left it alone, some unspoken rule I guess. I was correct in assuming he would be here, and actually a bit surprised to find that he wasn’t alone. Cullen sat in a seat to one side of the table, and it seemed to me that my appearance had garnered the attention of both men. Cullen seemed suspicious of the man behind me, for good reason but Varric was his usual easy going self so I shrugged it off for now.

“Varric, this man is Warden ah-” I paused realizing that I’d never gotten his name, and I looked at him for a moment uncertain.

“Blackwall, Warden Blackwall at your service.” He said with a bow, and I felt that was my cue to sit back and observe. “Word has it your people are looking for ruins.”

Cullen’s gaze shot to me as if asking if I’d told the man and I just shook my head.

“Now where’d you hear that?” Varric asked with a chuckle, and I had to appreciate his tact.

 

“I heard a group a Templar’s speak about it,” He said before adding “I assumed it was common knowledge, apologies if I’ve made a mess of things.”

 

“Not at all, don’t worry about it.” Varric said with a look of contemplation. “Don’t suppose you could tell me where these Templar’s were?”

“The tavern in town, I only took interest because I assumed Darkspawn would be an issue.” Blackwall said, looking between the men. “If that’s so, I would gladly offer my services.”

“Would probably be a decent bet to bring along a Warden I guess, alright.” Varric agreed, and Cullen only gave the dwarf a nod. “I don’t suppose you heard anything else from these Templar’s?”

“Only that they were looking for some mage, and that their Knight Commander was pretty angry. If you want to know, you could ask them they boarded behind me.” Blackwall commented, and the two men looked at me for confirmation.

“There were four,” I said turning to look over my shoulder towards the walkway behind us. “Definitely Kirkwall regiment, if their armor is any clue.”

“This could be a problem.” Varric said looking at Cullen, “If their looking for who I think they are looking for, I don’t think we can just bribe them to go away.”

 

“Why do you think you would be able to bribe Templar’s?” Cullen asked looking skeptical. “I know I was a bit of a lost cause, but generally the order has more integrity than that.” 

“How do you think we got you out of the clink? You have Mouse’s- pardon my orlesian balls to thank for that. She up and bribed Meredith of all people.” Varric said standing up and brushing his coat off. “I need to go see if I can head this off at the pass. Mousy, stay with Curly- Maker knows you need someone to keep you out of trouble.”

Varric moved back down the deck, and I let out a sigh- we could only hope this didn’t turn into another shit storm like the time Hawke decided to take a job for the Coterie. I knew lying to the Templar’s was in general a bad idea, but I didn’t think I would have to deal with it until after I got back to Kirkwall. Not the best strategy of course, but I had a plan for that- it was called bribing the shit out of the Templar’s and living in Hawke’s basement until Meredith found someone else to threaten. It was a tried and true method of survival in Kirkwall, and I highly recommended it- although you might have to find someone else’s basement; The twins were picky about that.

“Curly?” Cut through my vastly derailed train of thought, and I looked over at Cullen as the man struggled to come up with something. “Mage?”

“Varric gives everyone nicknames.” I commented dryly, “There’s no real escaping.”

“I take it these fellows aren’t exactly friends?” Blackwall said, question clearly on the tip of his tongue.

“Kirkwall Templar’s.” I said with a shrug and a shake of my head, “Why stand for Justice, when you can extort people.”

“Yes, but why would Varric think that they were looking for us if they were hunting a mage?” Cullen asked, and this made me roll my eyes.

“Because I’m the mage.” I said shaking my head and walking away, I took the back door to the passenger hallway and made my way to my room before closing the door. The ship had began moving again, I could stay out of trouble well enough if I was in my cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End notes: So I am mixing it up a bit, still using some of the dialogue from the Mummy- but I also want to make this unique.


	4. Chapter Three: Whispers In the Dark of Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wonder if Templar’s dream? I mean I guess so if Cullen has nightmares, but you would also think their abilities would have a negative effect on their dreaming. Sorry for how late this chapter is, I was walking down a mental back alley when a FF7 muse hit me over the head and stole my inspiration.

Blood and Sand

Chapter Three: Whispers In the Dark of Night

I slept that night fitfully, as I was want to do from time to time- really sleeping the whole night through was rarer for me, but the encroaching presence of too many Templar’s near by made it harder for me to slip peacefully in the Fade, following the paths that memories long passed had left. Occasionally I would glimpse another one of the mages in our company- this was sometimes how mages would know each other for being mages even if they’ve never met. The Fade was an infinite place, but if if you were dreaming close together sometimes you could touch the edge of others dreams. You couldn’t influence them- unless of course you were versed in blood-magic, but you could see what some people were up to sometimes.

Mages as it were had the choice of genuineness willing the fade to be what they wanted it to be, or just going with the flow. I had a knack for slipping out of whatever dream might come, and instead wandering as I did now. This was the gift and the curse of someone with the skill of a Fade Walker, you could see and learn so much- but this also affected the way you thought and acted outside of the fade as well. If you believed you had all the time in the world, and you woke up still believing that? Well you would soon start to lose your inherent sense of urgency. The same went for assuming things were solid- in the fade they weren’t unless you wanted them to be, but in real life that didn’t hold true.

Fade Walkers could phase from place to place, it was very magically expensive however so using it on a regular basis was out, that and it was always advised that you could see where you were trying to go- and to never try phasing through things. You might lose focus halfway through, and well you couldn’t very well breath if your lungs were filled with stone right? It followed the same principal as becoming a Spirit Healer, the more you did something the more open you were to certain influences of the fade. I was only sort of a Spirit healer because I wimped out, I had a really big problem with Fear Demons so I didn’t really want to catch their attention, and being more accessible to Spirits for said spirit healing meant I was opening myself up to attack from demons.

I had enough trouble just being a mage, probably more so now that Cullen actually knew. Generally the presence of one mage would confuse a Templar’s senses- and Sparrow was enough of a Force Mage to make even the worst templar pause. So I wasn’t surprised that he hadn't guessed I was as well, I didn’t exactly scream ‘Magiest mage that ever did mage’ or anything like that. So I spent a good portion of my time the next day avoiding Cullen like the plague- which was easy for me, as I was a master avoidance all I really had to do to avoid someone was to stick to something they hated like glue; say for example Alder and Anders?

Yeah, they squirreled themselves away from the rest of the company- which wasn’t unusual, Anders liked people but the Templar’s had both men on edge, I couldn’t blame them for the caution. In my attempted to avoid Cullen however, I did manage to finally talk to Blackwall a bit. He seemed nice, if a bit formal. But even as reclusive as I was, I still needed to get out every once in awhile and it was hard to avoid a man on a ship that suddenly seemed so small. I found myself one night walking through the ship’s- well for lack of a better description bar, weaving around the rowdy patrons when I spotted Alder dealing up a card game with some men I wasn’t familiar with. The group in question was pretty strange looking- a Qunari, the same Qunari in fact that I remembered dodging around a few days ago, and a smaller human with dark hair and the most fabulous mustache I had ever seen. 

Next to them was an elven woman who looked to be Dalish, and I had to wonder why a Dalish elf would even be on a shem ship- but I shrugged it off, I was here wasn’t I? Life had a way of putting people in odd places. The last member was also human, and looked to be male as well with a large warhammer strapped across his back. I was really curious, but I spotted Cullen coming in from the door I’d just walked through myself and decided to beat a hasty retreat out the other side. I moved to sit at one of the many tables, admiring the full moon that was rising in the distance. 

_____________________________________________________________

 

In the bar the man in question was indeed looking for the fleeing mage, both annoyed and frustrated that said woman would so easily seem to elude him. The former Templar had been made to pursue mages before, of this there was no doubt- but this mage in particular seemed to be able to disappear within seconds of him actually coming into the same general vicinity of her. He’d caught nothing but hints of her existence in the three days since there enlightening conversation, and he quite frankly was to the point where he was not willing to stop until they spoke. Cullen didn’t know why he felt such an urge to speak to the mage, after everything he would have been well within his rights to ignore her existence for the foreseeable future. 

But something told him that ignoring this gaff would be well, unwise to say the least. He didn’t have to like the company, but he did have to get along with them- particularly if he was going to keep them and himself alive on this farce of an expedition. He hated the idea of going back to the city, but he owed them- in particular he owed the woman a great deal, even if she was a mage. He didn’t know what to think about that to be honest, he wasn’t like many Templars who believed mages were aberrant abominations waiting to happen. But he didn’t know where to stand with this, she was of all things an apostate- and of the list of things one expected an apostate to do, saving Templar’s lives was not included. Even if said templar was aberrant himself.

“Hey Cullen!” Came a familiar voice, and he recognized Alder- if only because he knew he would have to watch his pockets around the man. Although he wasn’t sure if he was pleased or upset that the trinket stolen from him ended up in the hands of mage, who also happened to save his life. The Maker it seemed, definitely had an odd sense of humor. Cullen moved to stand near the man as he dealt cards to the waiting players, an odd bunch if ever there was one.

“Alder, good evening.” He said politely, choosing instead to watch the man as he palmed a few cards with the other players none the wiser. It was a wonder that a noble like Alder Hawke was a card shark and a cheat- surely he had no need to win.

“Would you like me to deal you in?” The man said pushing some hair out of his eyes. “Aces high, and we could always use another handsome man at the table.”

“And here I thought I was handsome enough to cover the table quota.” Said a dark haired, dark skinned man with a marvelous mustache. There was a twinkle in his eye that said he didn’t actually mean his comment, and was only attempting to get a rise out of someone. He winked at Cullen, and the blonde only blinked. “Dorian of house Pavus, at your service.”

“No thank you,” He said before adding “I gamble with my life, never my money.”

“A pity that,” Dorian said before adding “Then what my dear man could you possibly be after?”

 

“I am actually searching for a woman in our company.” He said looking at Alder. “Have you seen Lady Mouse?”

“Maker it must be hard for you; an ex-templar and you’re still hunting mages.” Was Alder’s only reply, and Cullen gave the man a dirty look even as several men at the table seemed to share a questioning one.

“Just the one actually, and less hunting more trying to discuss something with the woman in question.” 

“Well, I wish you luck. She is an expert at ditching Templar’s.” Alder said rearranging his cards. “Maybe if you want to talk to her you should try less stalking, more talking.”

“If I could find the woman in question I would,” He said running a hand through his hair. “But as you said she is an expert at avoiding unwanted attentions.”

Alder gave him a hard look, as if weighing his intentions before speaking again.

“She went out onto the deck just there.” He said finally pointing, “Speak to her, and the Maker as my witness you harm her or get terse with her and I will tell Fenris that you were trying to treat her like a slave- don’t think that I wont.”

Cullen thanked the man before moving towards the door.

_______________________________________________________

 

I shifted as I leaned against the banister, bare feet sliding across the wood of the deck before recoiling like I’d stepped in something unpleasant- because mentally I was certain I had. My foot had come into contact with something slick and cold on the otherwise worn surface, and I felt my ears twitch back, I imagine I must have looked much like an offended cat. Either way, the source of this substance bore some investigation, and despite the rather flammable nature of my surroundings I conjured up a small veil flame on the tip of my finger. It shed light, and heat but provided to be no real threat of fire unless it left my finger. The cost was a minimal amount of magic, and the eerie purple/green of the flickering flame. 

The light it shed cast the deck in an eerie light, but I ignored this in favor of the puddle I’d stepped into; and puddle it was, after a brief visual inspection and a sniff I concluded that it was water- which wasn’t all that unusual. What was unusual was what led away from it, some splotches in the shape of foot prints, the half footprints that one would see if they were tracking an elf. If I hadn’t been a elf, I probably wouldn’t have noticed them to be honest. Elves habitually walked on the balls of their feet- that is to say the front portion of their foot, and not the back quite as often. 

It was done for many reasons, the most prominent being that we had sensitive toes and the heel to toe movement that was unconsciously used by humans was well suited to stubbed toes. Thus being a bit more of an imposition than our natural way of walking. In either case, I had to wonder what poor fool had been thrown overboard- a quick check over the side did not reveal any was that said man could have gotten out of the water. This puzzled me, and I moved to follow the trail around the side of the boat, down a passage and away from the side deck I had been on. I swore I heard the door to the bar open, but I ignored it in favor of checking this new curiosity.

It was just a shame that curiosity often killed the cat.

__________________________________________________________________

 

Cullen ever the relentless hunter walked out of the cabin it seemed, just a moment too late- or so he surmised as the woman he was seeking appeared to be no where in sight. The hazy of purple green mage light caught his attention, and for a moment he made to follow- until his ears picked up the sound of moment behind him. Without thought blond man lashed out, grabbing the movement in the darkness and pulling the figure into a hold against the wall. With a jolt the ex-templar recognized the man with a curse, of course he would be nearby.

“Mettin, I would say it is good to see you. But then I would be lying.” He said, releasing his choke hold but maintaining a good grip on his shirt. 

“Cullen, always good to see an old friend.” The man said nervously, pained smile on his face. “What a coincidence, and here I thought I would never-” Cullen shook the man by his shirt with a glower, silencing him for the sake of his ears if nothing else.

“Was it you who told the chantry?”

“Told the chantry? Told the chantry what- that you’re a good, powerful, righteous Templar that would sacrifice anything for the Maker? Because you know I would only say good thi-”

“Shut up,” He said silencing the man's rambling “About the City, did you tell the Chantry about the City.”

“City? Are you an idiot- no.” Mettin said before putting both hands up in a placating gesture, “I mean of course you aren’t stupid, no one was saying that you were stupid I was just-”

This time Cullen only had to give the man a look to shut him up.

“Then why are you here,” he asked before adding, “Maker knows you don’t give a flaming sword about the desert, and you care even less for the Dalish tribes that roam the sands.”

“Well you know, I was so fond of the rolling… Um…”

 

“Dunes?”

 

“Yes, dunes- they are so lovely aren’t they?”

“Cut the crap Mettin, this will be easier for both of us if you just tell me what the Void you're doing here.” He said this time, his tone going deathly soft, a deceptive tone that his one time fellow templar knew well. It took the redhaired man all of five seconds to decide what to do after that.

“Okay, okay, I’ve gotten into the tourism business. You’ve probably seen them in there, a Vint and his crew want to see the desert so I’m taking them on a tour- nothing wrong with that.”

“I suppose not, except perhaps with the part where I don’t buy it at all, want to try again. The truth this time, if you please.” with this Cullen pushed the man against the railing, unbalancing him on the low wooden barrier. It was clear what he intended to do with the man should he lie again. 

“FINE! Fine, I’m taking them to the City.”

“So it is a scam.” Cullen said with a dismissive snort. “You wouldn’t go back to the City unless your life depended on it, let me guess- you take them out this far and then lose them in the dunes before catching the next ship home?”

“Usually yes, but these guys are smart. He only paid me half- he says I’ll only get the second half when they get to Orlai.” Mettin said with a whine, Cullen took in a deep breath before letting out a calming sigh mind decided. 

“I don’t suppose you’ve seen a woman out here?” He asked, as if out of the blue.

“You mean the pretty knife ear that happens to be a mage?” Mettin asked before pointing, “She went that way.”

“Ah thank you Mettin, goodbye.” With that Cullen let the man’s shirt go, allowing him to unbalance and fall over the railing into the river. Brushing off his hands he moved to walk down the corridor in question, hoping to catch up with the elusive mage.

_____________________________________________________________________

The fact that I followed the trail of watery footsteps down the hallway to the guest quarters was not in and of itself troubling. The fact that I followed them to my own door was, and for a moment I debated my next course of action standing in the middle of the hallway uncertainly. Varric I knew wasn’t in his room, and I was hesitant to bother Anders if he was actually getting some much needed rest. The others were of course otherwise indisposed, so it was just me against an unknown assailant… What could go wrong? I mean it wasn’t like I never fought people in the back alleys when I went out to do, well anything in Kirkwall.

I readied myself and pushed the door open walking into the darkened room, nothing seemed to move at first and the veil fire danced on the tip of my finger merrily as I stood there looking around the small cabin. Before stumbling back as something rushed at me from the darkness, I of course being the well trained mage that I was… Panicked and threw the veil fire at said attacker, stumbling back into the hallway and then someone behind me. A pair of hands pushed me back as the veil fire caught on something- or someone, becoming actual fire in the process and revealing a black clad elf as my attacker. I was pushed out of the way as the person behind me pulled a sword, and I was rewarded with the sight of Cullen rushing past me.

The elf was so panicked trying to put the fire out that he stumbled into the curtains that had been hanging by my sleeping alcove, catching them aflame as well, and as Cullen attacked he didn’t even really have to aim to catch the elf with a fatal blow. But this was hardly the most pressing concern anymore, as the dry brittle wood of the cabin was soon to catch even as I fought to put the flames out. Cullen grabbed my arm to pull me away, and I snagged my staff and pack before we stumbled back out of the smoking cabin.

“FIRE!” I shouted as we both moved to knock on the doors of the nearby cabins, rousing Varric our companions. It didn’t take long for the ship to be thrown into chaos as people began to shout and run for the side deck. Flames- particularly open flames where a nightmare on ships, and I’d just made a good case for why mages were dangerous for anyone to be around. But I said nothing as we found ourselves on deck, an arrow struck the deck near my feet and I looked up to find another dark clad man standing across the deck bow in hand. 

“Can you swim?” Cullen said as he pulled his sword, and I reached for a magical element that wouldn’t cause more harm than good at this point, and I flung a ball of ice at the man’s head- missing but only just. 

“Of course I can swim.” I said turning to the man, “But now is hardly the time to be swimming-” another arrow, this time from a different direction zipped past my cheek as I dodged, a hand fisted in the back of my jacket and for a moment I thought that somehow an enemy had crept up behind us. But no, I only realized that I was being lifted up like a cat by Cullen after he spoke.

“I think now is the perfect time for a swim.” He said, dropping me over the low railing and for a moment I seemed to be suspended in darkness before plopping into the cold water of the river with an undignified splat. I somehow managed to get my staff onto my back before I surfaced again, using the current like I had when I was a child in Fereldan and angling myself towards the riverbank. My heavy leather coat, and matching boots were entirely too waterlogged to justify anything more energetic in the water, and I found myself climbing onto the bank more like a livid drowned cat, then a Mouse. The progress of the ship however was not hard to track now, as the ship itself was crackling merrily with the hungry flames of my unhappy accident and I grimaced as I watched others leap from deck to swim to shore.

Thankfully it seemed, most of the people I knew ended up not to far from me- although Varric as it were seemed to have been dragged by a rather large Qunari. Dwarves as it were, did not deal with swimming well- something about drowning with the occasional bout of flailing I recalled Varric saying at one point, but I was too irate about being tossed into the water to remember it properly.


End file.
